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Focus On Quality Of Life Guides Consumer Choices

January 16, 2014

by Candy & Snack TODAY

Bellevue, WA — More than health, consumers increasingly focus on how lifestyle choices benefit quality of life, according to research by The Hartman Group, Inc.

In addition, living a long, healthy life balanced among activity, connecting with people and places, eating healthy food and rest has become part of the global culture, rather than a lifestyle choice or an alternative movement, according to the authors of “A Culture of Wellness.”

As a result, consumers are interacting with retailers and wellness-related institutions in a different way, the data show. At the core are early adopters, trendsetters and proselytizers, comprising just 13 percent of adults surveyed, who serve as a source of information about health and wellness and favor brands and retailers associated with sustainability, authenticity, quality and knowledge.

Another 25 percent of survey participants understand the importance of a healthy diet and exercise, although they don’t consistently act on that knowledge, and are proactive about health and wellness to promote happiness rather than avoiding illness, according to the survey. Quality and consistency guide their shopping, and they are more conscious of cost and convenience than other consumers.

The majority of consumers, 62 percent, although committed to health and wellness, vary in the intensity of their engagement. For example, while this group champions integration of well-being into their interactions with others in the community and mind and body awareness, the degree to which they value authenticity and their willingness to rely on a bank of knowledge instead of experts for information differs within the demographic. Overall, however, they care about quality, enjoyment and the experience of achieving wellness.

Data show that “for the first time, all segments share in a broadened, personal, proactive wellness perspective,” the analysts conclude. Laurie Demeritt, Hartman CEO, notes: “There has been a cultural shift — now complete for all intents and purposes — from ‘health’ to ‘quality of life’; from reactive health to proactive health.”